It's advantage David Alonso (GASGAS Aspar Team) as Moto3™ action at the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich got underway at the Red Bull Ring. Fresh from his debut victory, the 2023 rookie put down a 1:41.223 to take the top spot by a sensational 0.629s. It was a rookie one-two on the combined practice times as Colin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) was the best of the rest, with the Dutchman beating Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) to 2nd place by just 0.027s.
Whilst the Colombian was in a league of his own, the rest of the grid were locked in usual Moto3™ fashion. The Championship leader Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) enjoyed a positive Friday after topping the first practice session. The Spaniard just missed out on the top three by 0.020s to finish the day in 4th place ahead of Matteo Bertelle (Rivacold Snipers Team) who rounded out the top five. After crashing out of the British Grand Prix, Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) needs a solid finish in Austria to keep his title tilt alive. Whilst the Spaniard wasn't dominating sessions as we've seen at the past GPs, he sits in 6th place and has shown decent pace ahead of the weekend's racing action.
😅 @Denizoncu53 takes 'pushing the limits' really quite seriously #AustrianGP 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/hv2gT75w3D
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 18, 2023
Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) finished in P3 during Practice 1 but slipped down to P7 on combined times to sit ahead of Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP). The Rookie Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) enjoyed a positive day in P9 ahead of Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) who rounded out the top 10 despite hitting the deck.
Moto3™ action continues on Saturday, make sure not to miss any of the action with Practice 3 at 08:40 and qualifying at 12:50 local time (GMT +2).
Combined top 10:
1 | David Alonso (GASGAS Aspar Team) | 1:41.223 |
2 | Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) | + 0.629 |
3 | Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | + 0.656 |
4 | Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) | + 0.676 |
5 | Matteo Bertelle (Rivacold Snipers Team) | + 0.699 |
6 | Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) | + 0.712 |
7 | Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) | + 0.879 |
8 | Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) | + 0.956 |
9 | Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | + 1.034 |
10 | Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) |
+ 1.052 |